NAMIWalks Fight Stigma: Fall Dates Include Mental Illness Awareness Week and Election 2010 Concerns

ARLINGTON, VA, September 05, 2010 (Press-News.org) NAMIWalks will step forward over the next three months to raise public awareness in state and local communities about mental illness and the need for treatment and recovery.

Sponsored by state and local affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the walks help raise funds for local programs, including free family education classes and support groups for individuals and families affected by serious mental illnesses.

"NAMIWalks are fun events that support serious work," said NAMI Executive Director Mike Fitzpatrick. "NAMI's work is about hope and recovery. The challenge exists throughout the year."

The next NAMIWalk will be Sept. 11 in Vermont. Others coincide with Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 3-9), complementing many already held in the spring.

The full schedule of fall walks appears below.

This year, the walks also coincide with the Election 2010 season at a time when state budget cuts have hit mental health services hard.

"We hope all candidates will take note," Fitzpatrick said. "Mental illness affects Republicans, Democrats and independents alike."

"Our local NAMI chapter works tirelessly to fight stigma and provide vital support for area families," the director of the mental health services board in Lake County, Ohio told The New-Herald News about its local NAMIWalk on August 23.

"State budget cuts...have been devastating. Now more than ever, NAMI is an important ally for local families."

CALIFORNIA
Kern County - Bakersfield - October 16
Los Angeles County - Santa Monica - October 2
Orange County - Huntington Beach - October 2
Riverside/San Bernardino - Hemet - November 6
Georgia - Atlanta - September 18
Idaho - Boise - October 2
Illinois - Chicago - September 19

IOWA
NAMI Iowa - Des Moines - October 2
Scott County - Davenport - October 2
Kentucky - Lexington - October 16

LOUISIANA
Acadiana - Lafayette - October 2
New Orleans - New Orleans - October 9
Michigan - Orchard Ridge - September 25
Minnesota - Minneapolis - September 25
Mississippi - Jackson - November 6
Montana - Helena -September 26
New Hampshire -Concord - October 3

OHIO
Butler County - Hamilton -October 2
Summit County - Akron - October 2
Mahoning Valley -Canfield - October 2
Greater Cleveland - Cleveland - October 2

PENNSYLVANIA
NAMI Pennsylvania - Harrisburg -October 2
SW Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh - October 3
Rhode Island - Providence - October 2
South Carolina - Hilton Head - October 16

TEXAS
Austin - Austin - October 2
Tarrant County - Ft. Worth - October 16
Tennessee - Nashville - October 23
Utah - Salt Lake City - September 18
Vermont - Burlington - September 11
Virginia - Richmond - October 9

WISCONSIN
Brown County - Green Bay - September 26
Dane County - Madison - October 3
Fox Valley - Appleton - October 2

About NAMI
NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1100 state and local affiliates that engage in research, education, support and advocacy.

NAMI is non-artisan and does not endorse candidates.

www.nami.org
http://twitter.com/namicommunicate
www.facebook.com/officialNAMI